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What People Say About Us

At Skills Training UK we are proud of the feedback we receive from employers, learners and other partners, including referral agencies, government departments and local authorities.

To find out what people say about our Apprenticeships and Traineeships, please click on one of the titles below.

OFSTED

2017 inspection report

“Apprentices develop high levels of practical skills and behaviours and make valuable contributions to their employers.

“The planning of training is highly effective in providing flexible programmes that meet the needs of employers, trainees and apprentices.

“Senior leaders have established effective partnerships with local authorities, Jobcentre Plus and a large range of employers to ensure that they meet local and national needs and priorities.

“Links with employers are particularly strong. Senior leaders are heavily involved in the planning of learning programmes to meet the needs of local communities and businesses.

“Staff provide highly effective support for individuals, both inside and outside the classroom. Tutors on traineeship programmes use a range of challenging learning activities that help to develop and consolidate English and mathematical skills which are vital for employment and everyday life.

“Trainer assessors work flexibly with apprentices to meet their individual needs and work patterns. As a result, employers gain well-skilled and knowledgeable staff who become valued employees that contribute effectively to business performance.”

2014 inspection report

“Apprentices’ skills development, the standard of their work and the impact of their learning on their employers’ business are all good.

“All learners enjoy their learning and are motivated well by enthusiastic and skilled trainer assessors.

“Learners are motivated well by enthusiastic trainer assessors. Many learners are surprised and pleased by how much their training enhances their workplace skills, often well beyond their expectations.

“Training and assessment staff have high expectations of their learners. They use their industry experience and subject knowledge well to develop learners’ knowledge and enrich learning opportunities.

“Trainers’ visits are timed flexibly and, when necessary, they attend during unsociable hours to ensure learners’ competence is assessed at the earliest opportunity.

"Learners improve their understanding of their work roles well and make better contributions to their workplaces, including improved competence in carrying out appraisals and managing their time more effectively. Team leaders become much more aware of the policies and procedures that underpin their work routines and develop a more professional and structured approach to their work.”

Employers

Bristol Port

“Everything that we do at the Port is safety critical. It’s crucial that we have a strong workforce who really understand their roles. That’s especially true of supervisors and team leaders. Skills Training UK has helped to develop that. They dovetailed with our business objectives and created bespoke training that was exactly what we asked for.

“The trainer assessors work closely with everyone and the feedback from learners has been very positive. The training was directly relevant to what they do, so they’ve been able to see some big improvements and real benefits.”

Nick Venn, Training Manager

Church and Dwight

“The Team Leader course has helped our staff think about what they’re doing and how they’re doing it, as well as helping them to understand the business as a whole and how it’s run.

“It has broadened their horizons in terms of what they do now and helps them realise what they’ve been doing well and the areas where they could improve.

“We’re very happy in terms of how the course has gone and how our staff took to it. They really showed a willingness to learn and how they could better themselves and in turn, Church and Dwight. It’s helped them think differently about certain aspects that effect the company and the consequences they could have.”

Simon Sesay, Continuous Improvement Manager

FILON

“The training has empowered the staff to know that they can contribute, whereas before the culture here was ‘well, you’re the manager, you come up with all the ideas – that’s what you’re paid for.”

Craig Bainbridge, Production Manager

Fold Hill Foods

“Moving a business forward is not as simple as just buying a new machine. You need to work with your employees and find ways for them to make positive change.

“That’s why using Skills Training UK has been so great. The teams are taking what they learnt and putting it to real, practical use – we’ve already seen some significant gains in terms of saving time and reducing waste.”

Brian Allen, General Manager

GB Inspection Systems Ltd

“The relationship we have with Skills Training UK has gone from strength to strength. They know exactly what we are looking for and understand the aims of our business.

“I’ve always been a fan of promoting youth – to my mind it’s the best way forward. We’ve now got a good mix of age groups and that can only be an advantage.”

Neil Smith, General Manager

Ice 7 Media

“The whole process of employing an apprentice with Skills Training UK has been hassle free, easy and time saving compared to other training providers. We were recommended 3 students that would be suitable for the role and all of them certainly were, if we would've needed 3 new apprentices we would have offered them all a job.

“Refreshingly, Skills Training UK have spoken with us as a business about the best modules for the students to take to aid their career with us and genuinely want the best for both the student and business. I would have no hesitation in recommending a business to take on an apprentice with Skills Training UK.”

Craig Upton, Director

Lindab UK

“I’d like to thank Skills Training UK for their excellent work and continued support within our company, because we can see it has been a great help.

“We’ve gone from strength to strength when it comes to continuous improvement and Skills Training UK has helped tremendously with that. The attitude and general stance of the business has changed for the better.”

Mike Goodspeed, Joint Managing Director

Martindale Pharma

“The BIT course provided by Skills Training UK has enabled our employees to change their ways of thinking and drive efficiencies in their working areas.

“It’s a win, win scenario. As a business, we have confidence that our teams are working to a professional standard, while employees have been given the opportunity to work on new projects, form relationships and walk away with a qualification.”

PhotoBox

“The Business Improvement Techniques training works for us as it complements our internal quality improvement programme. I was impressed by how well Skills Training UK were able to identify our business needs straightaway and have worked with us to tailor the training around our busy periods.”

Diana Srinivasan, Business Partner in HR

Ramsay Rubber

“We have a mature workforce and that comes with huge benefits, but it can also mean that employees become conditioned in their ways. The BIT training has made the workforce more open to new ways of thinking about how to improve their efficiency and Skills Training UK have provided excellent guidance – I can already see the benefits!”

Paul Killeen, Managing Director

Southern Water

“Our whole business is changing and Skills Training UK is helping us drive that process. They understand our business and have worked with us to make the BIT programme an integral part of Southern Water’s people development strategy.

“The Trainer Assessors are equipping our teams with a tool-kit of knowledge and skills which can be applied in any situation to improve how things are done. What’s also vitally important is that they are flexible to our 24 hour operational needs and are patient in fitting the training around shift patterns.”

Pam James, Head of People Development

Thames Clippers

“The nature of our work is pretty unique, our Apprentice staff can often be scattered all over London. Skills Training UK have demonstrated a great understanding of this and have developed an extremely flexible programme to fit in with our way of working. We have dedicated assessors who come out to meet the staff wherever they are based, whether stationary in Greenwich, or floating beneath Tower Bridge!”

Richard Coonz, Customer Service Manager

West Midlands Media

“As a tech company that work some of the biggest brands in the UK, we need to ensure that our new hires ‘get’ the culture of our company and the standard of work we deliver to our clients. Raj (from the Skills Training UK Apprenticeship Academy) took the time to fully understand our business and what we expected from a potential apprentice… and within a week she provided us with a fantastic candidate.

“The service has been great from initial contact through to when Dan (our new apprentice) joined us. There isn’t mountains of paperwork to fill out and the process is as simple as it possibly can be. We would definitely recommend Skills Training UK to any business that is thinking of taking on apprentices.”

Shaun Owen, Communications Manager - West Midlands Media.

Xaar plc

“Skills Training UK grasped our vision from the start and tailored a programme which applied the apprenticeship standard to a whole new level, covering over 300 people with a wide range of previous skills and experience.”

Ian Page, Head of Continuous Improvement

Youngman Group

“As a result of Skills Training UK’s excellent guidance, I’m confident that we’re now offering our customers an even better level of service, which is really important. I know that all of the team is now working to a recognised, professional standard and that this has greatly contributed to the continuous improvement within the department, which is increasing our customer satisfaction all the time.”

Mark Phillips, Customer Service Manager

Zodiac Interconnect UK

“The team is now very aware of the techniques they can use in problem solving and identifying waste. They are applying the business improvement techniques in the workplace to identify the root causes of problems and proposing innovative solutions to rectify these problems to prevent reoccurrence. Anywhere there’s an improvement to be made, it’s being identified, and solutions are being presented to the leaders of the business.”

Khurram Chaudhry, Lean Manager

Learners

Bristol Port

“Working with Skills Training UK has been very good. The course was set up in a very structured way and brought the team closer together because we were all sharing a common goal. In particular it helped staff to understand their roles and see how they fitted in to the bigger picture. Skills Training UK brought that to the fore.”

Operations Administration Manager Mike Harris, Level 3 Management

Central Electrical Contracts

“I’m really enjoying the Apprenticeship. It’s a great way to get started because I’m getting paid and at the same time learning the skills that businesses and employers want. I would recommend it to anyone who’s in a similar position.”

Emily Jones, Level 3 Digital Marketing and Social Media

Church and Dwight

“I’ve learnt lots of skills about motivating team members and how to allocate them properly - identifying people’s skills sets allows me to now assign staff to stations where I think they’d work best and if there were any skills gaps, how could I implement the training to fill them.

“The course has taught me new things but it’s also made me do my job better and given me the skills for career progression - I’m very thankful for that.”

James Fright, Team Leader Level 2

FILON

“We were just doing things day-in day-out how we’d been told to do it. Now we’ve learnt Kaizen and completed the training, it’s making things a lot easier at Filon.”

Paul Carney, Supervisor Storeman

Fold Hill

“The BIT training was great. I’ve always had an open mind as I think it’s important to have a fresh perspective. But it highlighted areas where we could improve things and we’ve taken that on board and made changes on the factory floor. It’s saved time, reduced waste and generally just made our overall process much more efficient.”

James Luck, Assistant Shift Manager

GB Inspection Systems Ltd

“I was unhappy in my previous job and there was limited chance to progress. However now I can really see a future. I’m really looking forward to pushing on and reaching the next level. Everyone – GB Inspections and Skills Training UK – has been so supportive. It’s made a real difference.”

William Hawksford, NDT Engineering Technician Level 3

Martindale Pharma

We’ve implemented most of the techniques shown to us by Skills Training UK and they’re very beneficial – helping to save time and bring labour costs down. I’m now constantly looking out for opportunities to improve my work and the work of others – I believe continuous improvement is a key factor in ensuring the business stays as a market leader.

PACE Ltd. (Precision Aerospace Component Engineering)

“The standardised work stations, new visual management systems and new quality control means we are now producing and despatching products more efficiently. Our work spaces are more productive and we are experiencing the benefits of lean.”

George O’Connor, Setter and Acting Team Leader

PhotoBox

“I really enjoyed the training - I’ve learnt so much about different processes and work flow and how to be more efficient. I’m more aware of how to limit defects and improve quality now, which makes doing my job a lot easier.

“I’m much more confident now and encourage my department to meet regularly which has been really helpful in improving communication and time planning. Otherwise we rarely get a chance to sit down and talk as a team because of the shift patterns. The training has helped me to see that things can be improved all the time and that communication is really important.”

Rita Vaicikauskaite, Shift Leader

Ramsay Rubber

“I didn’t think I’d get much from it as I’ve been on training courses before. However, I felt like I learnt so much with the help of Skills Training UK, especially about management techniques. They also helped me to design a capacity plan and a formula to analyse the data - this has increased productivity and efficiency massively and I’m so grateful to them.”

Dave Slyde, Production Manager

Wembley Stadium Store

“Since the start of the Apprenticeship I have gained a full understanding of the importance of having excellent customer service in the work place. The training with Skills Training UK has enabled me to develop as an individual and increase my understanding of the retail industry, which ultimately is going to enhance my opportunities for career progression within the FA.”

Martin Wooldridge, Retail Supervisor

Xaar plc

“I thoroughly enjoyed the training and learning the new improvement techniques. It was also really good that we did the training with people from other departments who we hadn’t previously met. We tackled a big change project which otherwise wouldn’t have happened, and I also now have qualifications in English and Maths which I’m very pleased about.”

Jackie Thompson, Production Operator

Youngman Group

“During the training I was promoted to Team Supervisor and the training has really helped me cope with that transition. I was really impressed in the way that Skills Training UK really took the time to get to know us both personally and what our jobs involved so that the training was really relevant. I’ve learnt so much from the Trainer Assessor, he’s been a great mentor, and I’d really like to continue to Level 3.”

Lisa Walsh, Customer Service Team Supervisor

Zodiac Aerospace

“The BIT trainers helped make it a lot easier for me going into the role of Team Leader and I learnt how to handle situations. It helped me understand the techniques and the audits you need to do and it helped me with team work. I used to like doing things by myself but I can now get my team involved. I am on the Health & Safety committee and it has made me more aware of how things are done.”

Michael Moore, Team Leader

Our Partners

Black Country Impact (referral service)

“The people I talk to at Skills Training UK are a beacon in the community – I’ve got them on speed dial. They help me out tremendously and I refer a lot of young people to them. That’s no disrespect to others but they’re the first training provider I turn to. They always look after the needs of our young people and provide them with real opportunities to progress.”

David Mowatt, Advisor

Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)

“The Black Country LEP’s vision is to improve education and skills within the local economy – and I’m delighted that Skills Training UK is helping to meet this aim through its new Academy.

“The advanced apprenticeships offered by Skills Training UK are directly relevant to local employers, offering young learners the chance to develop vital skills in the increasingly important areas of digital marketing and IT.”

Stewart Towe, chairman

Ealing Jobcentre Plus

“Ealing Jobcentre Plus is the biggest office in West London: we always need ESOL and ICT courses and have had a huge increase on claimants who would benefit from your training centre.

“Skills Training UK is always a first choice for the excellent delivery of training with hands on tutors: location is very important and the fail to attend rate (on your courses) is very low. Many of our claimants have now secured employment as a result of participating and training in your Work Skills, ESOL and ICT courses.”

Sonia German, Lone Parent Team

Hounslow Jobcentre Plus

“I’ve been working with Skills Training UK for many years – it’s important to work together to help young people into employment, and to remove any barriers that they may face. When a young person comes to us and they need help gaining qualifications, I always know Skills Training UK is there to support.”

Maya Shah, Employer Adviser

Skills Support for Unemployed

“Staff are experienced, knowledgeable and supportive, enabling learners to develop their knowledge of new subjects and overcome difficulties in their learning. Excellent use of real life examples and the tutor’s own experience in the observed Work Skills session supported development of learner understanding of sales promotion methods.

“Learner feedback and staff observation systems that monitor and improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment are strong. STUK captures rich feedback from learners by conducting forums and requiring learners to complete surveys.”

Wilenhall Jobcentre Plus

“We have a close working relationship and we can introduce people to Skills Training UK with confidence, knowing our clients will receive help in gaining qualifications, developing their CV and overcoming their barriers to work. Skills Training UK has such good contacts with all local employers – you know it is going to provide people with a real chance to improve their lives.”

Colvin Walton, Employment Advisor

Local Authorities

Brighton and Hove City Council

“It can be very hard for a lot of these young people but what Skills Training UK do is great. It encourages its learners to engage with employment and training and make a real difference – with the chance of a meaningful job at the end of it.”

Linda Shaw, local employment scheme co-ordinator

Hampshire County Council

“Innovation and cross-sector collaboration are vital elements to transforming public service delivery. Through our partnership working with Skills Training UK, Hampshire County Council is maximising the use of available resources to sustain and extend services that are transforming the lives of young people, their families and communities.”

Phillip Walker, County Manager (Post-14 Learning)

Children's Services Department, Isle of Wight

“The Isle of Wight Council strives to work collaboratively with its local providers. Skills Training UK fully endorses this partnership approach and we have established an excellent working relationship aiming towards a common goal. This work has enabled the NEET Youth Contract to be run successfully on the Island reducing our NEET figures substantially below the national average. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Skills Training UK.”

Funding Authorities

Department for Work and Pensions

“Skills Training UK have delivered Progress! the ESF Families Programme across the South East, which has included working with Jobcentres and their customers.

“As the ESF Manager for the South East, I have worked closely with Skills Training UK to understand their ESF Families Programme delivery model to maximise the support available to Local Authorities, Jobcentre Plus staff and their customers.

“Throughout this Programme, we have faced many challenges together, but with careful planning and a robust communication strategy we have persevered to deliver essential support to families in the South East, who have faced entrenched worklessness for generations.”

Wendy Knighton - Group Senior Provision & ESF Manager

FE Colleges

Northbrook College

“Northbrook is proud to be working in partnership with STUK on a reciprocal basis which has allowed both organisations to support a seamless offer and a range of progression routes to its clients. As a result, the partnership has enjoyed high levels of success.

“Northbrook looks forward to further expanding its work with STUK to ensure future Government priorities are met and to build upon the success achieved to date.”

Anne Feldberg, Business Development Manager

Jane O’Neil, FE College

“The partnership has been successful with Skills Training UK delivering a portfolio of Level 1 and 2 short qualifications to unemployed adults referred through Jobcentre Plus. Success rates have improved over time and currently average 94% across the portfolio.

“Skills Training UK have proven to be a high-quality delivery partner who are flexible to meet the demands of both their learners and the employers they work with.

Jane O’Neil, FE College - Interim Principal and Chief Executive

Charities

CXK Limited

“CXK, the leading independent careers advice charity, has welcomed the opportunity to work in partnership with Skills Training UK and their partners since the launch of the Youth Contract Positive Directions Programme in September 2012.

“Skills Training UK and the Youth Contract provider network deliver a vital mentoring service at the point of entry for vulnerable young people who are NEET. Skills Training UK have been very supportive in welcoming CXK as a new delivery partner in their network. This co-ordinated approach has ensured all young people aged 16/17 who are seeking to re-enter employment with training or education have had access to support.”

Skills Training UK is continuing to build its delivery network and CXK are delighted to be a partner.

Sean Kearns, Chief Executive

Wheatsheaf Trust

“Wheatsheaf Trust has been working with Skills Training UK on the Progress! programme for troubled families and the Youth Contract. Skills Training UK has a committed and enthusiastic staff, and a genuinely participative approach to their supply chains. They give us a degree of freedom to deliver the service in the way that we know best, which is not always our experience with other Primes.”